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Serious question, as I don't know much about vehicle physics: Why not just put a bunch in the (now empty) engine compartment and gas tank area to spread them out a bit? Do they weigh a lot more then a fully built ICE engine+transmission/clutch assembly+full gas tank?

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> Do they weigh a lot more then a fully built ICE engine+transmission/clutch assembly+full gas tank?

A 2018 Fiat 500e (electric, with a tiny battery bank good for only ~90 miles) weighs almost 3000 pounds, whereas the same car with ICE is ~2400lb.

So yes, electric is a lot heavier. And that Fiat battery bank is mostly too small to be practical (had two of these on lease, gone now) so a a larger bank with usable range is even heavier.

The Nissan Leaf is about a close as you can get on a chassis built for ICEVs. It uses a platform shared with the Versa and several other Nissans. The electric motor and related electronics and service components (like air conditioner) are where the ICE engine would be and the area under the back seat and luggage area are filled with batteries. I believe it can get up to 150 mile range.

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